Castle vs the Law of Averages
by MyNameIsJeffNImLost
Summary: "CIA's a popular theory with you." "Yes, well, law of averages demands that I'll eventually be right." Mystery/Action/Drama/Humor/Romance/minorAngst. Post Castle's "Countdown", 3.17, & "Chuck vs. the Masquerade", 4.16. Followed by "Caskett vs Dr Morgan".
1. Ninjas

_Summary: "_CIA's a popular theory with you." "Yes, well, law of averages demands that I'll eventually be right." - Beckett and Castle, from_ Castle_, "A Deadly Affair", 3.01.

The story starts as a mystery, adds some action and drama, evolves into a comedy, and mixes in a little angst and romance. All of the principals are featured, including nine regular cast members from the two shows. Alas, Big Mike, Jeffster, the Dr. Woodcombs, Clara, Alex, and Beckman from Chuck as well as Montgomery, Alexis, and Martha from Castle get left out. Some get shout outs, though.

This story is set about a week after Castle's "Countdown", 3.17, and between "Chuck vs. the Masquerade", 4.16, and "Chuck vs. the First Bank of Evil", 4.17.

**This story won a Third Annual Awesome Award! The Agent Bryce Larkin Memorial Award for Best Crossover Story. Thanks to everyone who nominated and voted for it.**

Disclaimer: Nobody else owns anything here, so why would I?

Disclaimer 2: No beta. Why would I sucker/obligate/subject anyone into reading this when they didn't want to?

_23 Feb 2011_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Chapter 1 - Ninjas**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Detective Kate Beckett calmly stepped out of her car spying her... partner... Rick Castle in front of the three-story walk-up residence in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She tried to contain a small smile as he saw him rocking on his toes, about to come out of his skin.

Sometimes she wondered why she put up with this guy.

No.

She didn't wonder. She knew the many reasons she 'put up' with him. He made her smile. He was helpful as a partner—more helpful than she was willing to admit. He was always supportive—well maybe not always, but he was supportive when she needed it most. He might not be her _best_ friend, but somehow he had become her most trusted friend. And of course, he was the man she was in...

No.

She wasn't going there.

"What's this about, Castle?" Beckett asked with her usual slight hint of irritation mixed with amusement.

"Hello to you, too, Detective. How are you this evening?" Castle teased, waiting for a response. When all he got was a glare, he continued, "This place was just robbed...by ninjas!"

The amusement was gone, leaving only irritation. Beckett started to turn back to her car, so she could return home where she would now have to refill the hot water in the bath tub she had abandoned.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hear me out."

Beckett stopped. She wasn't really going to leave, but she would have to put up a front so maybe Castle would think twice before pulling a stunt like this again. Holding the bridge of her nose she sighed, "Ok, you have one minute."

Castle inhaled deeply and quickly expounded his story. "I got a call from Paula. Since she's in charge of my publicity, she also oversees the Richard Castle website. One of the moderators for the forum sent her an alert about one of the posts. You see, ever since we've had some cases with stalkers and with copy-cats of my books, we've asked the forum moderators to keep an eye out for troubling and suspicious posts."

"You pay people to sit around and watch your fan site?"

"Pay, no. They're just really dedicated fans. I did send them an autographed copy of _Naked Heat_ the same time it went to reviewers."

"That's more than I got."

"Hey! I dedicated the book to you again. I would have you know, Alexis is the only other person to get more than one book dedication from me."

Beckett subtly lowered her hand from her forehead to cover the smile she was having a hard time holding in. Despite his antics, Castle really did make her job more fun, and he was frequently really sweet. "What was the message?"

"Right. Someone was walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street and saw two shadows jump from that building to this one."

"So of course you conclude ninjas," Beckett smirked.

"No, that's what the fan posted on my forum. Don't worry. We'll get you the fan's contact information as soon as our computer guy can look it up."

"Sounds like an overactive imagination to me. Besides, I'm a _homicide detective_. I no longer do patrols or investigate home invasions. Your fan should have called 9-1-1, or Paula should have called them. Speaking of which, why did you call me?"

"Well, some people think 9-1-1 is so 1968, so they use text messaging instead. Misguided, I know. But what can we do? I called you because the last several times I showed up at a crime scene without calling you first, you either arrested me and or kicked me off the case. But wait. I haven't gotten to the best part." Castle paused for dramatic effect, grinning at his increasingly annoyed partner. "After posting with her cell phone about the ninja's, the fan hung around to see what would happen. A couple minutes later, she heard several machine gun shots. At that point, she ran off."

Beckett's humored expression suddenly became very serious as she drew her gun. Castle eyes widened. "I think the place is clear. All of these posts were over a half hour ago."

"Better to play it safe. Castle, please get in my car. I'm calling for back-up."

"I already called Ryan and Esposito."

Almost on cue, another car pulled up. Detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito exited the driver side doors. Esposito looked a little irritated. "You realize we were on a date, Castle." A quick glance in the car revealed Ryan's fiancée, Jenny O'Malley, and Javier's girlfriend, medical examiner Dr. Lanie Parrish, in the passenger side seats. The detectives froze when they saw Beckett's drawn weapon.

Beckett took charge. "We have a possible 10-31 with reports of automatic weapons fire. It's been quiet for the last few minutes, maybe half hour." The three detectives quickly retrieved handguns and vests from their respective vehicle trunks. Esposito grabbed a shotgun, and Ryan called for additional back-up. Locked and loaded, they ascended the porch and entered the house.

Castle decided to join the ladies in Esposito's car to keep his mind off the assault that was about to happen. That was a mistake. Lanie was annoyed her date had been interrupted and was taking it out on Castle with a ferocious glare. Meanwhile, Jenny was shaking slightly. It was one thing knowing you're engaged to a cop. It was another seeing him armed for battle. Castle realized that in his current position, he seemed like one of the womenfolk, waiting for the husbands to return from the battle. It was times like this that he wished Beckett let him wear his 'writer' bullet proof vest more often. At least she didn't handcuff him to the steering wheel this time.

From the car, the bystanders heard one bang from an interior door being bashed in, but no gunfire followed. After a couple of tense moments, Beckett called on the radio. "It's all clear. Ryan's coming out to take Jenny home. Lanie and Castle, could you please come in? I'm calling dispatch. We're going to need CSU and a whole lot of ambulances."


	2. Bounty Hunters

_24 Feb 2011_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Chapter 2 – Bounty Hunters**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Lanie and Castle entered the main room on the second floor and encountered a disaster area. The large, high-ceiling room extended through the third floor. Around the room, lamps were knocked over and chairs had been tossed. The far wall was covered with bullet holes which trailed into the ceiling. Glass from the rooftop skylight was broken on the floor. Oh yeah. And the room was littered with eight bodies. Esposito stood in one corner, standing like a sentry looking down at the bodies.

Lanie bent over the closest body. "I think I have a live one."

Beckett stepped in behind them. She had been double checking other rooms. "We think they all are, except this one." Esposito's guard stance over the seven _unconscious_ bodies suddenly made sense.

Castle wasted no time simultaneously issuing and disregarding his first theory. "This doesn't make sense. If this were some sort of rival mob hit, wouldn't they just kill everyone?"

"We don't know this is mob-related. Maybe this was an aborted attempt. Hopefully, we'll find out more when they come to."

"I don't see any reason to abort. Everyone here was incapacitated."

"You're assuming this was everyone. Maybe another person gave chase."

Lanie offered some observations. "So far, the only blood I've seen is on the victims. Maybe CSU will find some trails, but it looks like whoever did this was not shot. Several of the victims have blunt force injuries, but some do not. Some of the bodies have been dragged into this row, but whoever started didn't finish the job. This one has a cut on the right hand between the thumb and index finger. I don't know what kind of blade, but it was very sharp."

Beckett examined the man's weapon. "It looks like some damage to the trigger mechanism."

"Oooo. Throwing star to the hand to disable him."

"I found these." Lanie held up a small dart.

"A tranq dart? What self-respecting mob enforcer uses a tranq gun? And why shoot one guy while tranq'ing the others?" Castle was even more confused.

"Maybe it was friendly fire. The dead guy has a nasty hit in the face, too. I'll have to verify cause of death back at the morgue."

"These look like a custom design. Definitely not something that can be bought at the local gun store." Esposito took the dart and put it in an evidence bag.

"Cool. The ninjas made their own darts, just like Jango Fett. Maybe that's it. They are bounty hunters."

Beckett ignored Castle and started a scene overview. "So, the assailants—"

"Mob ninja bounty hunters," Castle interjected.

"-entered through the skylight and incapacitated the vic's. One ended up dead in the struggle. The room's door was locked, so when the perps finished whatever they were doing, they left back through the skylight."

"Which means it probably wasn't a kidnapping," Castle suggested.

"This would have been a very risky heist. They used nonlethal means, while the vic's were packing some very serious firepower."

"As if ninjas have to worry about a few automatic weapons."

"If this was a theft, the goal must have been worth a lot."

"We should look for a safe, or a wall with a missing painting."

Beckett smiled slightly. Castle always suggested several crazy ideas before coming up with something worthwhile.

"Hey Beckett, it looks like CSU and the ambulances are here."

"That was fast," Beckett responded, looking at her watch, "less than five minutes." Joining Esposito at the second story front window, Beckett saw a line of eight ambulances outside, along with a 'standard issue' Crown Vic. "How did they get eight ambulances in this city so fast?" she mused. "Esposito, there are two security cameras in here. See if you can find where the signal goes." He nodded and left to search the house. They had cleared the house already, but really hadn't looked around.

Castle looked out into the hall and down the stairs. Ascending the stairs was a large man with a square jaw and a very determined look on his face. A parade of EMTs followed with stretchers. Something about the whole situation seemed a little off—too regimented to be real. Castle backed into the room and stepped sideways just in time for the determined man to pass. Beckett filled the gap blocking his way while holding up her badge.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett. And you are?"

The man flashed a badge. "Lieutenant Alex Coburn. We'll be taking over." He side-stepped around her, and his 'platoon' started to work on the unconscious.

Castle looked like the man had just slapped his puppy. "Can he do that?"

"Technically, we are in the jurisdiction of the 14th. I wasn't aware of a new Lieutenant in that precinct. I'll call the Captain." Beckett pulled out her phone and stepped into the hall for some quiet.

Castle thought maybe he should politic with this Alex character before they were completely pinched out of this case. "Hi, I'm Rick Castle. I'm the one who reported the break-in."

"We didn't get your call. We received an independent report of shots fired," Coburn answered without looking at Castle.

"That explains how you got here so fast. Beckett had barely placed the call."

Coburn cocked his head in realization. "Wait. You're Richard Castle, the writer?"

A fan. Maybe there was hope. "The one and only."

"Great. Another moron."

And then the hope was gone. "Hey! Moron? What did I do—"

"You killed off Derrick Storm. I liked that series."

"He was getting stale. I had to follow my muse."

Coburn grunted in response.

"But you have to admit the Nikki Heat books are so much better."

"I'm not interested in some trashy novel about a stripper cop."

Castle's mouth dropped open. "I object to your characterization! Nikki is a sophisticated, thinking man's cop. She was inspired by my partner over there, so I would politely ask that you refrain from—"

Coburn cut him off with another grunt. "Let me guess, she has no idea you are writing love letters to her in your books."

"Wha-what?"

"Like I said…moron." A third grunt. Castle was noticing each seemed to have a different tone but the same general sense of disdain.

Castle tried to regain his composure by switching into PR mode. "Well, trust me. If you liked Derrick Storm, you would love Nikki Heat."

"Like _I_ said, I'm not into power skirt, puff pieces."

Castle stared agape at the blatant sexism coming from this man. He couldn't believe the modern NYPD would allow that from any officer, not to mention a lieutenant. That was a step away from captain. His shock was interrupted by another tall, skinnier man.

"Don't mind him. He's just sore from the last several times my fiancée kicked his ass in the sparring ring. Then of course there was the last time when—"

"Hey, I let her win that time."

"Good thing for you, too. If not, we both know you would have ended up in the morgue instead of the hospital," the new man added with a grin.

"It was _my_ plan. Could I help it if the cable gave way? I was supposed to drop only forty feet, not eighty," Coburn growled.

Castle's eyes widened. Maybe there were good NYPD stories outside of the 12th precinct that he could use for research. Of course, none of those other precincts had Detective Kate Beckett. "Eighty feet? What kind of case were you working on?"

The skinny man ignored the comment and offered a hand in greeting. "Hi. I'm Sergeant Charles Carmichael. You'll just have to pardon my friend here, Mr. Castle. He's more into war histories and cold war adventures than crime mysteries, so I doubt you'll change his mind."

Since this Carmichael was not present for the first round of introductions, Castle thought he must have been recognized again. Maybe _this_ one was a fan. "So are you a Nikki Heat fan?"

"No, I'm more into the comic book super hero and sci-fi genres. Another guy on our team has your most recent books, but I think he likes them for the cover art and hasn't read them yet." Charles grinned. "Now that we are here, we'll get this crime scene cleaned up in a jiffy. So could you please excuse us?"

Castle was startled by this abrupt change in conversation. So much for charming his way back into this case. Then he realized that something as complex as this crime scene could not be cleaned up 'in a jiffy'. He spun around and noticed a couple of the victims were already being transported out of the room.

Castle excused himself and joined Beckett in the hall. She looked frustrated. "The Captain was interrupted with a call from the mayor before I could explain the whole situation. I'm on hold."

"Something is very wrong. They are already moving the bodies."

"What do you expect, Castle? They aren't dead and have to be treated. Not all crime scenes have bodies that don't move on their own."

"Ok, but the two officers seem to think this is going to be cleaned up very quickly." Castle thought for a second and realized something else. "No one has taken any photos, and they aren't even wearing crime scene gloves."

That caught Beckett's interest. Before she could respond, Lanie walked up. "Kate, they are taking my bodies, and I can't stop them. They aren't even taking the time to make sure they are properly stabilized."

Beckett raised her eyebrows. She wasn't sure what to do about it. Technically, this lieutenant outranked her.

From the top of the staircase going to the third floor, "Boss, I found the surveillance feed for the cameras in the other room."

Beckett hung up, grabbed Castle, and pulled him upstairs to the room Esposito was calling from. Her concern and confusion was clear on her face. Lanie started to follow, but Beckett stopped her. Under her breath, "Keep an eye on things out here, and let us know if someone is coming."

"How am I supposed to—" She was cut off with a closing door.

Castle noticed something in his partner's eyes. It was the same look as when he originally mentioned the automatic weapons fire. Something was setting off warning bells, as if the current situation was almost as dangerous as before they verified the building was clear. Whatever was going on, Castle understood Beckett didn't want him stirring things up more before they knew what was going on. On the upside, he would get to see mob ninja bounty hunters in action.

Inside the small room, Esposito sat at a table with two monitors. One showed the sidewalk out front, while the other showed the crime scene. Esposito reset the video forty-five minutes, while Castle and Beckett leaned in to watch.


	3. Mr and Mrs Smith

_25 Feb 2011_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Chapter 3 - Mr. and Mrs. Smith**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"That. Was. So. Awesome!"

"Oh my..."

"Wow! That was fast! They took out five guys in like five seconds. They never had a chance."

"They way he... And then the way she..."

"Can you back up play it back slower?" Beckett asked. "And can you bring up the reverse angle on the other monitor?"

"Sure, just a second."

"Is there any way to get sound?"

"Sorry, no."

Esposito reset the video playback and speed. With a few more clicks the outside view switched to another view of the crime scene.

One monitor showed three men playing cards at a table. The other showed one bouncer wanna-be on a sofa playing with a cell phone while the other was pouring a drink at the bar. On both monitors a black rope dropped into view. Sliding down the rope was a tall, thin man dressed in black. He was upside down with two guns pointed towards the men at the table. As he was still descending, the three men slumped onto the table, obviously tranq'ed.

He stopped a few feet from the floor, turning his head and one arm, his face still hidden from both cameras. An instant later, the man at the bar dropped his glass before collapsing in a heap.

The final man reacted quickly. Springing from his seat, he threw his only weapon, his cell phone, which the upside down man swatted away, dropping his gun in the process. Before he could bring the second one around, the man from the sofa had charged and wrapped the infiltrator in a crushing bear hug, pinning his arm so the second gun dropped to the floor.

An instant later, a second person dropped into the picture, feet landing hard on top of the large man's shoulders. He was briefly stunned, releasing his prey. The second infiltrator, a woman with a blonde ponytail, quickly detached her harness and grabbed her partner's torso before she could hit the ground. Using him as leverage, she flung her legs up and around the large man's neck so she was suspended front down between the two men. With a quick twist, she flipped her victim on to the ground.

With the grace of a gymnast, she dropped to the floor, following her dismount with a kick to her victim's head. After retrieving one of the tranq guns, she shot him twice for good measure.

"Go ahead and return to normal speed." Beckett interrupted. They had returned to the initial point of viewing.

The blonde on the monitors surveyed the scene. While she was doing that, the first, for lack of a better term, 'ninja' was swinging slightly reaching his arms out to get her attention. He seemed to be struggling with his harness. Finally, the blonde turned and smirked at him. After a couple seconds of clear teasing with a knife posied at the rope, she gave him a quick peck on the lips. It wasn't a full Spiderman kiss, but she was grinning afterwards. She then moved to release the harness at his waist.

Suddenly, they both snapped their heads towards the entrance to the room. The woman yelled something, and the two shoved off hard, sending the man swinging towards the bar on one side of the room while the woman dived behind the table on the other. The screen that had a partial view of the door showed three men, two with machine guns.

Each gunman tracked one of the infiltrators while opening fire. The one tracking the woman hit one of his unconscious comrades at the table. Then, he suddenly reared up, spraying shots across the room and into the ceiling before collapsing in pain and dropping his weapon. His foot showed a knife sticking out of the side. The woman must have thrown it underneath the table.

The other shooter was emptying his clip into the bar, behind which the swinging man had dropped after releasing his harness mid-flight. The shooter abruptly dropped his weapon and grabbed his hand.

The third man leaned over to pick up the dropped weapon, finding a knife lodged behind the trigger. This mistake gave the 'ninjas' time to act. By the time he realized the problem and started reaching for the other weapon, he had been dispatched with a kick to the head from the woman. All three were efficiently tranq'ed by the man who had retrieved one of his pistols.

The pair shared a serious look and an affectionate grasp of hands. Following this brief pause, they separated and returned to work. The man pulled the bodies into the room, locked the door, and collected the weapons, while the woman started searching the room. Next to the sofa, she found a silver case. Pulling it to the top of the bar, she called over the man, who returned her knives. He stared at the case for a couple seconds, and then punched in a code next to the case's lock. He checked the contents quickly, and then relocked it.

They returned to the ropes and reattached their harnesses. A few seconds later, they were gone, back through the ceiling by some automatic pulley system. The whole break-in was less than three minutes, and half of that time the ninjas were flirting.

Everyone in the security room was quiet for a few seconds. Beckett was the first to speak. "Who are these guys?"

Castle replied, "Could you back it up to where they were getting ready to leave?"

"Sure." Esposito reversed the playback.

"There! Stop! Ok, can you zoom in on the man's face?"

He selected the man's head and with a couple clicks the monitor with filled with the man's face.

"We have a problem."

"What is it, Castle?"

"That's Sergeant Carmichael. He's out there right now with Lieutenant Coburn."

"Crap." Beckett pulled her phone and dialed. "Dispatch, this is Detective Beckett. How soon until back-up arrives? ... What do you mean it was cancelled? ... Ok, we have a situation. Send all available units to the previous address I reported. And see if you can get me Captain Montgomery. Have him call me immediately at this number." She hung up and pulled her weapon.

Esposito grabbed his shotgun from its position again the wall. "Lanie." He was clearly having trouble controlling his concern.

"Stay here, Castle." Beckett slowly opened the door, and saw an exacerbated Lanie immediately on the other side.

"They're clearing out of here."

"Lanie, get behind us, and lock the door." Esposito gently shoved Lanie into surveillance room with Castle. Weapons draw, the detectives exited into the third story landing. Hearing voices from the crime scene below, they quietly descended to the second floor. As they approached the main room, three people exited: Coburn, Carmichael and the blonde from the video.

Beckett yelled, "Freeze! Let me see your hands!"

Before she could even finish her order, Coburn and the woman had guns drawn in return. Carmichael stood nervously in the middle of the four with his hands raised.


	4. The CIA

_27 Feb 2011_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Chapter 4 - The CIA**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_Beckett yelled, "Freeze, let me see your hands!"_

_Before she could even finish her order, Coburn and the woman had guns drawn in return. Carmichael stood nervously in the middle of the four with his hands raised. _

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"Hey now! Hey now! Everyone just take a breath." Carmichael nervously prattled. "No need for anyone to shoot anybody."

The four armed people didn't flinch. Beckett and the blonde were aiming at each other as the two men did the same. The space was tight for the five, between the stairs, the widened hallway, and the entrance to the main room. Carmichael cautiously sidestepped between Beckett and the blonde.

"Chuck, what are you doing?"

"Sarah, I'm just trying to make sure Detective Beckett doesn't think about trying to shoot you. I wouldn't want her to end up dead. She _is_ technically on our side."

Beckett interrupted, "Listen, I don't know who you really are, but you will drop your weapons. Right now!"

"Not happening, sister," Coburn responded.

"Casey, you don't need to antagonize her." Carmichael directed his comment to Coburn.

"Chuck."

"Come on. Our cover is blown. You know the only way we are getting out of this."

"I could always just shoot them both, and we could go out for a sandwich." Beckett and Esposito both clenched their guns at that comment.

"Casey, Casey, Casey. That didn't work with me several years ago. Why do you think it is going to work now?"

"They don't have Walker here backing them up." Coburn-that is Casey-responded.

Beckett tried to assert control again. "You have five seconds."

"Do we really need a countdown? I have an idea," Carmichael—that is Chuck-suggested. "How about we each lower our weapons, one at a time? Then we call our superiors to sort this out. Sarah, since you are the most deadly, and the most beautiful, you can go first."

With Chuck blocking her aim anyway, she shrugged and lowered her gun with a small smirk.

"Ok. You with the shotgun are next."

"I don't think so. We're in charge here."

"Please, Detectives. We can all be one big happy family."

"Not until they _both_ drop their weapons."

Chuck sighed. "No trust from the NYPD, huh? Fine. Casey, you're next."

"Like that is going to happen."

"It's only a tranq gun anyway."

Casey tilted his head and rolled his eyes. After a moment's pause, he lowered his gun.

"Good, now both of you drop the weapons," Beckett asserted.

At that moment, a short, bearded man stepped out of one of the side rooms. "Hey guys, I couldn't find the security room, but lookie at what I found." He waved a small device in his right hand. "Whoa! What's going on here?"

Esposito turned his weapon to the new arrival. Beckett started to look that direction when she heard a beep from her belt. As she looked down, Chuck made his move. He took one step between the detectives, spun and kicked the shotgun loose from Esposito's grasp. At the same time he grabbed Beckett's gun. Before she could react, her weapon was in pieces, and the shaft of the gun was bouncing on the floor. Esposito struggled to regain control of his weapon, but before he had a chance, Casey drilled him with a tranq shot to the neck.

Beckett's momentary shock at her disassembled weapon abated, and she started to reach for her back-up gun at her ankle.

"I wouldn't, Detective," Chuck warned. "Her gun is real." Beckett looked up to see the other woman's gun pointed directly at her. She stood up slowly, refraining from raising her hands. She figured if they wanted her dead, she'd be dead already.

"Back-up will be here any minute," Beckett calmly stated.

"I cancelled it," Casey countered.

"I called again."

"Did you recognize the voice?"

Beckett hesitated, "No. It's night shift. That duty changes a lot."

"Well, tonight, it was covered by us."

That surprised Beckett. "Who are you guys?"

Before anyone could answer, Chuck spoke, "Morgan, please give me the device. We wouldn't want a repeat of the Buy More."

"Hey, I had two broken thumbs at the time. You blow up one electronics store, and you never live it down." Morgan handed over the device to Chuck. "That was really cool with the Jet Li _Lethal Weapon 4_ move, by the way."

"Thanks. I've been wondering if I knew that move for over a year now, but I've never had the right opportunity."

Complete confusion crossed Beckett's face. '_Wondered if I knew the move?'_ she thought. That made no sense. She had a more important question, first. "What is that device? It set off my radiation detector, just short of the yellow range."

"Don't worry. Yes, it contains a radiation source, but it is low-level unless I set it off, which I have no intention of doing." Chuck replied. Morgan's hands went immediately to cover his groin. "Don't worry, buddy, it's safe. Why don't you go upstairs and retrieve the Mr. Castle and the medical examiner? They are probably freaking out from watching the cameras." Chuck pointed to the camera at the corner opposite the stairs. Morgan saluted and hurried up the stairs. Chuck continued, "The doctor can check on the unconscious detective here, and we can make sure the writer doesn't try something stupid."

Beckett snorted at that comment.

"Let me guess. He never stays in the car when you tell him," Chuck suggested.

"Never."

To this Sarah snorted. "Tell me about it. Like you can talk, Chuck."

"Hey, I remember telling you it is never safe in the car."

With Casey covering Beckett, Sarah retrieved a backpack that had been dropped when this confrontation started. She took the device carefully from Chuck and placed it in the pack.

A moment later, Castle and Lanie descended the stairs. "Are you ok, Beckett?"

"I'm fine, Castle. Esposito was the one who was shot."

Lanie hurried over and began checking the downed detective.

Chuck continued his 'master of ceremonies' role with the suggestion, "It's getting kind of crowded here. How about we take this into the next room?"

Beckett resisted the suggestion. "I don't know who you guys really are, but until I'm told otherwise, that is my crime scene, and you are not disturbing it."

Castle chimed in from his position on the last step, "I can't believe I didn't see it before. Mob, ninjas, bounty hunters…I forgot my standby. They're CIA!"

"Why do I always get grouped with you two?" Casey groaned, directing his complaint at Chuck and Sarah.

"You are on our team, and we do outnumber you," Chuck quipped back.

"I knew it! Law of averages demanded that I'd eventually be right."

It was Beckett's turn to groan. "Since you're right this time, that means I don't have to listen to any more of your crazy CIA conspiracy theories in the future."

"But my gloating will not be denied."

Morgan started down the stairs but stopped when he saw he had nowhere to go.

"Come on everyone. Into the room," Casey ordered. "I'm sure you'll be surprised to see it is no longer a crime scene."

Sarah walked right in. Beckett begrudgingly followed after picking up the pieces to her sidearm. Chuck and Castle lifted up Esposito, and everyone else filed in afterwards.

Beckett looked around in shock. The broken lamps had been replaced with unbroken ones. Fallen and broken chairs had been replaced with new ones. The bullet holes in the wall and ceiling were gone. All evidence of a struggle was missing.

"Everyone get comfortable. Be careful of that wall. The paint is probably still wet. I'm calling for an extraction. You," Casey waved his gun towards Beckett, "get to stay in case we need to coordinate with NYPD. One of your choppers may be the fastest way out of here."

"Can I at least call for an ambulance for Javier?" Lanie sassed.

"No. This location is not secure," Casey answered tersely.

Lanie's face slowly twisted in anger when Chuck jumped in as peacekeeper. "Don't worry, he'll be fine. Casey's shot me before with no lingering effects. Your friend, eh, boyfriend, eh, whatever will be fine in a couple of hours. In fact, Tyler Martin swears by Casey's unique brand of tranq dart."

"Isn't he half brain dead?" Castle asked.

"Well, maybe, but he took several darts without any _additional_ problems."

Lanie didn't look very comforted as she had settled into a seated position on the floor, gently patting Esposito's head on her lap.

Casey closed his phone with a 'yes, ma'am', prompting Castle to ask, "So now what?"

"Now we sit tight. The General wants a military chopper, so she's making some calls to clear the airspace. We don't want a repeat of the Statue of Liberty flyover fiasco." Directing his next comment to his fellow agents, "We also want to avoid another Chandler/Panzer exchange fiasco. This could be a while. Maybe we should just tranq 'em all." Beckett and Castle stiffened.

"Come on, Casey," Chuck whined. With a slighting cheered tone, "We can all get to know each other until they show up."

"Two armed CIA agents, a grunting gorilla, and whatever that guy is," Castle quipped as he motioned to Morgan who just entered the room. "That won't be awkward. Not awkward at all."


	5. The CIA?

_28 Feb 2011_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Chapter 5 – The CIA?**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Beckett thought the entire circumstance was a little surreal. Had they really dropped into the middle of a CIA op? "So what now?"

"Now, Detective, we wait for extraction. After we are sure the devices are secure, you can go back to catching scorned housewives, embezzling business partners, and butlers." Casey chuckled quietly at his comment, which did not amuse Beckett.

Sarah and Chuck sat against each other at on the sofa. She and Castle sat in chairs across the room at the table. Lanie sat on the floor by the door, holding her boyfriend. This new guy, Morgan walked behind the bar.

"Come on, Casey. Let's make drinks for everyone while we wait." Casey shrugged and joined him pulling out some glasses.

"You know, Sarah, I need to reschedule our flight to make sure we get back for Operation Baby Awesome tomorrow."

"Do you really think they'll go through with it, Chuck?"

"Oh yeah. They'll leave. The question is will they make it to the restaurant, or actually finish breakfast before they rush back."

Casey snickered. "My money is on them turning around at the car."

"I think they'll drag Baby Awesome with them and you guys don't even need to be there. You should just stay in New York tonight." Morgan piped up.

"Normally, I would agree with you, but I have a sneaky suspicion that Ellie is trying to get us to play parents."

Sarah's eyes shot wide open at Chuck's observation. "We haven't even set a date yet."

"You know my sister. She's always scheming two steps ahead."

"Maybe you guys could work on wedding plans while we wait."

"No, Morgan. Just because you're my best man does not mean you get to plan the wedding. That's Sarah and Ellie's job." Chuck grinned at Sarah, whose eyes had not returned to normal. "Then, when terrorists break up the first ceremony, we get Casey to plan the second on short notice because he did such a great job last time." This earned a small giggle from Sarah, finally allowing her to recover.

Casey growled, "That was a onetime deal. I only did it because I was reclaiming tax payers' hard earned money."

"Right. The Woodcomb wedding stimulus package. Ewww. That did not sound like what I meant."

Beckett whispered to Castle, "These people can't really be CIA. Can they?"

"I know. Isn't it great? Three dysfunctional, but kick-ass agents and one plucky side-kick." Castle surreptitiously pulled out a small notepad and pen from his coat pocket.

Chuck opened the backpack at Sarah's feet, making Beckett nervous at the thought of the device in the pack. Instead, he pulled out a flat, hand-held computer tablet.

"Cool, is that the new iPad 2? My publisher couldn't get me one."

Chuck set the computer on the low table in front of him and replied, "No. This is much better." Sliding out a keyboard, he continued, "See, it has this new invention called a 'keyboard' that has this ingenious feedback mechanism called 'tactile response.' It allows faster input and even allows me to look at you while I'm using it. The iPad is eliminating buttons, so I doubt you'll be seeing one of these on the next several generations of the iPad. Maybe someday Apple will figure out that people use iPods for music at night and don't want it lighting up the whole room just when the want to resume their nighttime playlists. I still have an iPhone, though. They would revoke my nerd card otherwise."

Chuck pressed a few more buttons. "I really doubt the iPad 2 can do this." Suddenly a three dimensional image was projected above the screen. Chuck moved his hands through the image and flipped several successive images to the side. "Sarah, it looks like the last flight out of La Guardia is full and the last flight out of JFK only has one seat left. So unless you want to take care of Baby Awesomette by yourself-" Sarah playfully slapped Chuck's shoulder. "I guess that is a no. I could bump someone, but maybe it'd be better if I find alternative... There. It looks like I can get a C-37A. Unless you want to see if I can get an F/A-18B. We'd have to leave those two behind but-"

"That plane only has a range of 2000 miles-not enough for a cross-country flight from Hamilton to El Segundu," Casey interrupted.

"I can fly the Gulfstream, but I'm not qualified for fighter jets," Sarah added.

"I figured I could fly it. I didn't know about the range problem. I guess I would have figured that out when I got in the cockpit. Oh, well. C-37A it is." Chuck alternated between the keyboard and some of the projected images.

"So where do I get one of those?" Castle asked, almost drooling at the high-tech gadget.

"Sorry, it's not available for the public," Chuck answered.

"My publisher knows people who work at Marvel. They could hook you up."

Chuck looked like he considered it for a second, but they replied, "As cool as that sounds, I'm more of a DC Comics guy. Also, this computer is only available from the weapon's designer who created the other two devices in the backpack. It took me three weeks to reset the SIM card, disable tracking, clean out the other logic bomb booby traps, and get it ready for this field test. I don't get to keep it after this mission, so we're both out of luck."

"Don't forget-"

"I haven't, Sarah."

Chuck typed closed the open screens and flipped up a new one. He started and then blinked a few times, shaking his head in a compact circle. Refocusing, he punched in a code on the keyboard and bunch of text flew by on the projected screen, way too fast to read. Chuck typed in a few more commands."

"What now? Are you ordering your in-flight food service?" Castle asked with a bit of sarcasm.

"No, but that's a good idea. Morgan, could you get on that?"

"No problem. Let me pass out the rest of these drinks first." Morgan had just placed two martinis in front of Beckett and Castle. Castle was already downing his, but Beckett made no move towards hers. Lanie's fierce look indicated she wanted no part of any drink.

"Actually, I think the chef at the Bamboo Dragon has a cousin that lives in New York Chinatown. I bet New England shrimp is even bigger and fresher and sizzlelier." Morgan deposited a martini and some kind of mixed specialty drink in front of Chuck and Sarah before pulling out his cell to place an order.

"What I was doing, Mr. Castle, was crashing your fan website. Don't worry. It's coming back up now. The only difference is no pesky post from a fan about ninjas at this address."

"You can do that? I need to talk to someone about my website security."

Chuck scoffed, "It wouldn't make much difference. However, it was easy enough to do using your partner's sign on. So, Detective, do you want me to keep admin privileges on your account? You'll keep your loyalty points regardless. Wow, you sure do have a lot. It looks here like you were one of the first one hundred members."

Beckett slowly sunk in her chair and covered her face in embarrassment. She shook herself out of it, took a small sip of her drink, and feigned that she hadn't heard a word the last minute. Castle gave a teasing smile to Beckett, but didn't say anything.

Noticing her discomfort, Chuck continued, "Oh, sorry. I'll just restore it to your previous privilege level." Chuck entered a few more commands, closed the keyboard and put away the computer. He leaned back on the sofa, pulling Sarah back to his side.

"By the way, Morgan, what have you been hiding?" Sarah asked around Chuck's head.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Morgan took a sudden interest in the wall.

"Left pocket. It's why you came downstairs late."

"You're so smart, Sarah. Why do you even ask?"

"You know you can't keep it."

"What? Are you going to destroy it? We know you are good at that sort of thing, Miss Ninja Computer Assassin." Morgan asserted, not quite able to meet Sarah's eyes.

Chuck interceded, "You're the one who hung the shelf, Morgan. If it had not fallen, she would have just kicked our asses and stolen the computer."

"Fine. I'll just call her Miss Ninja Computer Thief. Sarah, you gotta let me keep this recording. I don't have a recording of your Thailand throw down. I don't have one of the two of you at the coffee shop in Switzerland. Mister No Secrets Agency got to it first. Chuck, my video of you taking out those ten guys in Moscow didn't turn out. By the time I recovered from where you pushed me out of the way and could pull out my cell phone, I only got a few frames of non-image stabilized footage. I heard about the army you took out at Alex's house, but there's no record of that either."

"Well, I heard that Sarah and Casey took out more people at the cabin, but since that mission was unofficial, there better not be a record of anything we did that day. The really cool one you missed was when Casey took out his sensei."

"His sensei?"

"'Can-crushing Guy.'"

"Casey versus Can-crushing Guy? That would have been so cool! See. I've missed so much."

"Sorry buddy."

With frustration, Morgan pulled the hard drive from his pocket and tossed it to Chuck. Chuck pulled out a screw driver from his vest and proceeded to disassemble the hard drive. He pulled out a small bottle of liquid from another pouch and poured it over the platters, resulting in a sizzling sound from the hard drive chassis and a depressed sigh from Morgan.

Castle offered his condolences. "It was _really_ cool. I doubt anyone would believe it was possible if I wrote it into a story."

The subsequent silence was uncomfortable for Castle because he couldn't help from thinking 'silent but deadly assassins'. Spies talking about flight plans and baby-sitting seemed unusual, but it was better for the blood pressure. He decided to broach another subject, "So. You guys are CIA. Do any of you happen to know Agent Gray? He's a real old school spy that helped me with _Storm Warning._ He's probably the most deadly man I've ever met."

Casey chuckled, and Sarah held in a laugh with her hand. Morgan's the one who answered, "You hadn't met these two before tonight. They are way more deadly. Casey was known in some countries as the 'Angel of Death', before he was renamed the 'Angle of Life' and Sarah is the—"

"Don't say it, Morgan. You know she hates that name."

"You're right, Chuck. Ok, I'll just say she has replaced the bogey man as the phantom that parents in Thailand tell their kids about when then want them to behave."

"If you say so. But working as a bartender and scared of baby-sitting... you two do not seem so tough. What's so funny about Agent Gray?" Castle asked.

Casey snickered again. "Let me guess. 'Half-Pint' told you the story about the ice cream scooper and the guy in North Korea."

"I'm not supposed to repeat that. And I wouldn't call him 'Half-Pint' to his face."

"Yeah, I thought so. That story has been floating around for decades. Sometimes it's a melon baller and a Russian. At one time it was a paint stirrer and a Nazi."

"Are you saying it was fiction?"

"Godwin's law," Chuck offered.

Casey crinkled his face at Chuck, not understanding the reference. Chuck explained, "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

Casey just shook his head. "Agent Gray teaches an intimidation seminar for spy trainees a couple times a year. The rest of the time he ensures reports are filed on time, which is where he perfected his intimidation skill. He moonlights spinning stories in the Disinformation Department, 'adjusting' information from the thousands of reports he's read over the years."

"You mean to tell me that Agent Gray is an office clerk?"

"Yes... a rather annoying one. He thinks he's an amateur magician, too. He doesn't realize disappearing in middle of a conversation is annoying, not spooky. I just use it as an excuse to not hand in some reports."

Castle mouth dropped open, and Beckett joined in the spies' laughter.

"Ok. So Agent Gray… not so tough. However, we've seen Special Agent Shaw in action, with some of the same kind of cool toys you all have…" Castle trailed off when he noticed the spies' reactions. Casey and Sarah instinctively reached for their weapons. Chuck grasped Sarah around the shoulders. And Morgan almost dropped his glass, barely steadying it on the bar. "What?"

"You know Shaw?" Chuck asked as Casey moved slowly around to the front of the bar.

"Yes, she helped us on a serial killer case last year."

"She? Last year?" Casey cautiously asked. Sarah was frozen as Chuck tightened his grip.

"Yes."

"Evelyn Shaw?"

"No. Jordan Shaw."

Chuck blinked rapidly and rapidly shook his head slightly.

"Chuck?" Sarah prompted with eyes full of fear.

Chuck quickly answered, "No relation," and everyone immediately relaxed.

Beckett asked, "What just happened?"

Chuck responded calmly, "We have some personal experience with a couple of 'Agent Shaws'. One was killed as a double agent several years ago. The other is extremely dangerous, but fortunately is locked up in a maximum security psychiatric facility. Jordan Shaw of the FBI is not related to either one."

Beckett nodded, but realized this was a very touchy, personal, and apparently dangerous subject for these spies. If someone mentioned Raglan or Coonan, she would probably have a similar reaction.

Everyone was startled by a ring from Castle's phone. In truth, it was a welcome tension breaker.

"Hello? … Hey, Bob. … Sure, I'll put you on speaker."

Castle set his phone on the table and pressed the screen. "You're on, Mr. Mayor."

"Are you there, Detective Beckett?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Are Colonel Casey and Agent Walker there too?"

"Yes, sir." Casey replied for both of them.

"Is everybody still in one piece?"

After a pregnant pause, Beckett spoke up, "Detective Esposito is unconscious, but I've been assured the tranquillizer dart should wear off in a couple hours."

"Oh… well… At least there's no permanent harm. Listen, I've got to go in a second. I'm on hold waiting for the President right now. A couple of quick points… First, Colonel Casey and Agent Walker, thanks to you and your team. I've been told this could have been a bad one. Second, I've been instructed by a General Beckman that everything that happened tonight is top secret classified, so nothing ever happened tonight, including this phone call. I wish I could say that about a couple of nights in _my_ past. Finally, thanks, Rick. You once again got yourself in a mess, and I'm reaping the rewards. I'm getting a breakfast with the President next week." The mayor sound positively cheery. Then in a rush, "Oh, gotta go. Conference call with Homeland Security to clear the airspace for a military chopper. Sit tight, and you can all go home in no time. Until then, please give Colonel Casey, Agent Walker, and their team full cooperation. And please… nobody shoot anybody else."

Morgan crossed the room with an air of superiority. "Now that our boss has told your boss's boss who's in charge and 'Bob' has confirmed we are one big happy family…" Morgan paused and the quickly pulled Castles pen and notepad out of his hands.

"Hey!"

"Like they were going to let you keep that. They wouldn't even let me keep the fight recording, and _I'm_ on their team."

"He's right, Castle." Beckett figured after the mayor's call, there was not much point in resisting. These spies were just offbeat enough that maybe they would help her mess with Castle. "You realize you could probably be locked away if anything you've seen or heard tonight ends up in one of your books."

"We've got something more important to talk about anyway." Morgan asserted as he pulled a chair across from them. Beckett smiled as she realized watching this Morgan bug Castle might be fun.

"We need to talk about this problem between the two of you. You know this unresolved, unspoken, yearning thing." Morgan flipped open the pad to a new page and crossed his legs. "Bob said to give us your full cooperation. So, talk to Dr. Morgan."

Beckett's smile dropped. "Wait! What!?"

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

A/N: Like most of my conversations, this one got away from me, so I decided to break it right before I got to the Casketty goodness.

Just over a 12 hours countdown until 'Countdown'! Even better, less than 12 until the Bank of Evil heist!


	6. Dr Morgan

A/N: I'm setting this a little more precisely in the shows' timelines. It is shortly after Castle's "Knockdown" and right before "Chuck vs. the Bank of Evil." In other words, Castle is really frustrated, Morgan is between homes, and Sarah isn't bridezilla yet.

_01 Mar 2011_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Chapter 6 – Dr. Morgan**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"_We've got something more important to talk about anyway." Morgan asserted as he pulled a chair across from them. Beckett smiled as she realized watching this Morgan bug Castle might be fun. _

"_We need to talk about this problem between the two of you. You know this unresolved, unspoken, yearning thing." Morgan flipped open the pad to a new page and crossed his legs. "Bob said to give us your full cooperation. So, talk to Dr. Morgan."_

_Beckett's smile dropped. "Wait! What!?"_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"We're… We're… not together," Beckett stuttered.

Morgan rolled his eyes, "Of course you're not. We all know that. And we all know _that_ is your problem... one we are going to solve tonight."

Casey crossed the room grumbling something about lady feelings. Collecting the shotgun and disassembled handgun from the NYPD officers, he found a neutral corner and set about cleaning and reassembling the weapons.

"Don't mind him. He's not really in touch with his feminine side. Cleaning weapons helps him find his Zen. So where were we? Oh yeah, you two. So for purposes of this intervention, I am Dr. Morgan and you are?"

Beckett looked mortified as Castle started nervously fidgeting. When Morgan realized he was not getting a response, he looked over his shoulder at Chuck and Sarah. They were both smiling in a devious manner as they leaned against each other across the room. Chuck offered an answer, "Sorry, buddy. I forgot you missed the introductions. She is Detective Katherine Beckett, the NYPD homicide detective with the highest closure rate in the city. And he is Richard Edgar Castle, formerly known as Richard Alexander Rodgers, writer of over twenty best-selling novels. You know… the ones with the cover art you like." Both Beckett and Castle were surprised with Chuck's knowledge. Why would Chuck know her closure rate or his real name?

"Right. Right. Alex got into those a few weeks ago and really liked them. She even read me the scene on page 105. Good stuff." Morgan gave Castle the double thumbs up. Pointing his pen at Beckett, "So that makes you Nikki Heat. May I just say the cover art does not do you justice?"

"I am not Nikki Heat!"

"I get it. You based Nikki on her, but made Nikki a little sluttier. That will make this a little harder. 'Nikki Heat'. Good stripper name by the way."

Becket huffed as Castle smiled.

Lanie, who had finally dropped her two-eyed dagger look at the Colonel, joined the conversation. "As much as all of us at the 12th think these two need an intervention, we don't need someone like you to come in and make things worse." Beckett whipped her head at her friend, dropping her mouth in shock. Ignoring the support out of this conversation, she couldn't believe what Lanie had said about everyone at the 12th.

"I understand. You need to know my qualifications. I present exhibit A, Charah." Morgan dramatically motioned to Chuck and Sarah. Chuck rolled his lips, obviously holding back a comment, while Sarah raised her hand a fraction too late, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Mock all you want. However, once I knew the real score with you two, how long did it take you to finally get together? Almost three years of unresolved feelings was reduced to mere days! And your situation was infinitely more complicated than theirs could possibly be.

"Also, I would point out exhibit B, myself. I am in a happy, committed relationship, which one could observe is probably the most dangerous one on the planet." This earned curious looks from Castle and Lanie. Beckett was still glaring at her friend. Morgan continued, "I am dating _his_ daughter." Morgan pointed to the gun-cleaning Colonel in the corner.

"Wow. Ok, you've got me convinced. How can I help? I'm Lanie Parrish, by the way." Lanie asked.

Castle directed his own comment to Casey, "Your daughter is dating _him_. As a fellow father, I feel your pain." Casey only shrugged in response and continued his cleaning using the portable kit he must have been carrying with him.

"Well, my dear Dr. Lanie, I suspect our patients are going to be a little resistant. So maybe you can help me with the background when they refuse to cooperate."

"You've got my support."

"_Lanie!_ Might I remind you, I have a boyfriend."

Morgan waved off this information. "That doesn't matter. Sarah did, too. As you can see, she is much happier now. It's about being with the right person. 'The heart wants what the heart wants.'"

Beckett's eyes widened at the Woody Allen quote, remembering when Castle had said the same thing to her, before the Hamptons disaster. Castle, however, straightened in his chair, suddenly more interested in what this little man had to say.

"First question: how long have you two been denying your feelings for each other?"

Castle's renewed interested faltered as he started to squirm. Beckett, on the other hand, looked pissed. When he realized an answer was not forthcoming, Morgan turned to ask, "Dr. Lanie?"

"Almost three years now."

"Really? What a coincidence. That is about the same time as it was for Chuck and Sarah, before things became real. These things can only carry on so long. Since you are not a couple right now, how would you classify your relationship?"

Best to act like nothing was going on, Beckett thought. Because nothing was. Right? "He follows me around and sometimes helps on cases."

"I thought we decided I was your partner."

"I remember _you_ saying that, Castle. You're just like a loyal and trustworthy cocker spaniel that follows me around."

"I feel I've been useful in many of your cases."

"Of course, you've been helpful. I've told you that many times, but that—"

Morgan calmly interrupted, sensing the rising tension in the Detective's voice, "So you are saying he has been an _asset_ to you when you try to solve your murders."

Beckett turned in surprise at Morgan. Wrapped up in her banter with Castle, she had almost forgotten he was there. That happened a lot when she was verbally sparring with Castle. "Of course."

"And I assume on some of these missions, I mean cases, you have saved each others' lives."

"It has been known to happen," Beckett admitted. Castle smiled proudly.

"I see. I see. Good. Most cases of unresolved sexual tension stem from communication problems. I assume that is not a problem for a writer. You're an open book. You've even written a fantasy of your first liaison and shared it with the world. So I assume the problem is with the detective." Beckett shrunk back in embarrassment as Morgan continued, "Don't worry about it. You can't be as bad as Sarah. Almost four years now, and we still don't know the last name on her birth certificate. Hmm. I know this book that can really help with the personal communication exercises—"

"No!" Chuck and Sarah both cried from across the room.

"You guys are right. That'd be getting ahead of ourselves. That book is better for couples that are already committed. I haven't even started on those questions with Alex, yet, because we are good and I don't want to rush things. Well, except for a couple I used when she was sleeping."

"That might have been the one good thing about that book," Sarah said. "I was surprised that actually worked." Sarah linked her arm through Chuck's and squeezed.

Tapping his pen on his pad, Morgan sighed. "I guess the communication problem is up to you two. One of you will have to force the issue. Try to pick a time when a mission or murder or whatever will not interrupt. You know how that always works."

The doorbell rang.

"Great! The sizzling shrimp is here. That's a welcome interruption!"

"Morgan!" Chuck admonished. "We were supposed to be lying low."

Casey grunted in amusement. "Like you didn't order sizzling shrimp on our first stakeout. Don't worry. I'll get it." Casey cocked and holstered his gun.

Sarah extracted herself from Chuck. "I better go back him up." The two spies left the room.

Chuck continued his scolding. "I thought I told you. The Bamboo Dragon was a front for Triad."

"But didn't you take those guys out? We've continued ordering from there after the Night of Morgan disaster."

"Right, but only because I personally checked out the new staff in LA when you got me into the kitchen. We know nothing about their New York restaurant. I'm sure the food is fine, but that doesn't mean we want to invite them to our makeshift safe house."

"Sorry, Chuck. You know how I get at the thought of really big shrimp."

Chuck only shrugged in response because Morgan had a point. He was really hungry, too.

After a minute, Casey and Sarah returned with the food. They began distributing it as Morgan had ordered enough for everyone. No one wasted time before digging in.

"Wow! This is really good," Castle exclaimed.

"The whole bill was less than a hundred and twenty, including delivery and taxes. Don't worry, the CIA has the tab." Casey grunted at Morgan's comment.

"In this city?"

"What's the matter, Castle? Didn't know that not all good food is at five star, high priced restaurants?" Beckett teased.

"I just want to know if my loft is in their delivery radius."

"So where were we?" Morgan asked with a mouth full of noodles. Recovering his voice, "Oh yes. Exes. An important roadblock in any budding relationship. Look at me. I almost lost my girl because one of Sarah's bridesmaids came to town. Speaking of which… Sarah, are you absolutely sure it is wise to have Carina for a bridesmaid? She might be a no show if she is stuck on a mission."

"Knowing Carina, she'll parachute in to make it there on time. Or maybe she'll do that just to refocus the attention on her. But I want her there anyway. I'll see what I can do about finding her a suitable 'diversion.' Unfortunately, Casey is out because of the creepiness factor. Also, we don't want him handcuffed in his boxers someplace when the ceremony is about to start."

Casey missed the teasing jab the handcuffs because he we still trying to process why there would be a creepiness factor. Did she mean Morgan and Carina? He shook his head, dismissing that disturbing thought.

"Anything you could do, Sarah. Thanks. So. We know the beautiful detective here has a boyfriend, so we'll come back to her. What about you, Castle? Richard? Can I call you Rick?"

"I am currently unattached."

"That helps. Any evil exes lurking around?"

"I've been divorced twice."

"Ok. Are they _evil_?"

Beckett covered a smile as Castle shifted uncomfortably. He might not like the direction of this conversation so far, but maybe if he continued to play along he could get Beckett to open up. "I don't know about evil. My first ex, Meredith, gave me my beautiful, intelligent and considerate daughter who is the center of my world. That said, Meredith can be a little crazy sometimes."

Lanie snorted. "You call her a deep fried Twinkie."

"Ah," Morgan nodded. "Tasty, but definitely evil. And your second ex wife?"

"Gina. We recently tried to reconcile, but it just reminded me why we didn't work the first time. She's my publisher so I still have to work with her."

"She gets both alimony and publisher royalties. Sounds evil to me. Also sounds a little like Bryce."

"We never reconciled, Morgan." Sarah interrupted

Chuck replied, "Not for his lack of trying. His self-servicing advice did break us up after our first date."

"I know. And if I'd have known at the time, I would have killed him a second time. Or would that have been the third?"

Morgan cleared his throat. "For our New York friends who don't know the back story… Sarah has two evil exes and Chuck has three. It has proven to be a solid foundation for their relationship."

"Love is the foundation of our relationship. And I don't have three evil exes. There's only Jill."

"There's also meat smuggling Lou and stalker Hannah. You know Hannah is sort of your version of a deep fried Twinkie. Sweet like licorice, but evil. So, you see, Rick. Evil exes don't have to prevent future happiness. You even had an ex come back for seconds like Jill did with Chuck, Bryce did with Sarah, and my other ex, Anna, did with me. Sarah and I were smart and avoided temptation, but just like Chuck, your weakness does not have to be your downfall."

Castle was really wishing for his notepad. This unveiling soap opera was almost too much to follow.

"So, let me guess, Rick. Judging by the lovely brown hair of your partner, your exes are blondes… or redheads."

"One blonde and one redhead. How did you know?"

"It's like the mirror universe, but without the goatees. Evil exes have the opposite hair color from the one you truly want. My girl also has brown hair, while my exes have black and red hair. Chuck's evil exes are brunettes. Since your girl is a brunette—"

"I am not his girl. _I have a boyfriend._"

"You're not his girl _yet_. I thought you realized that's what this session is about. Please try to keep up. But I guess it is about time we get to your boyfriend. Maybe we should start with your exes first."

Beckett crossed her hands, tight-lipped. Morgan turned to the medical examiner. "Let me guess. She likes her coworkers."

Lanie smiled "Oh yeah. First there was FBI guy. Didn't stay in town because of work. He came back later, kind of like this Bryce character. Then he left again after he was shot. I don't think he's evil, though."

"Eh. Not all exes are evil. Technically, Bryce was not evil. They gave him a star at Langley after he died for good, the eighth or ninth time. However, he treated his best friend and his girlfriend like crap, so in my book that is evil. Maybe the FBI guy might be more like Cole. I'm told he wasn't evil-"

"I was never with Cole," Sarah interjected.

"—and I'm told he was shot a lot. Who's the next serious guy for the Detective? We should probably skip the distractions."

"Next was Demming, another cop," Lanie said.

"Someone else, she works with. She likes dating the people she works with. That's great, because she obviously works with her partner."

"But her current guy is a doctor."

Castle couldn't refrain himself, "We like to call me Doctor Motorcycle Boy."

Beckett gritted through her teeth, "His name is Josh."

Morgan tapped his chin for a few seconds. "I see. MD. Motorcycles. A real All-American hero type. Gotta be careful about those. If they seem too good to be true, they are probably lying."

"Well, my Josh is the real deal. He helps treat those in need in Africa through Doctors Without Borders."

Morgan's eyes widened and Chuck immediate pulled out his tablet computer from the bag Sarah handed him.

"Last name?" Chuck asked.

"No. I am not letting you run a background check on my boyfriend."

"First, we're the CIA. We don't need much for probably cause. Casey's NSA, and they need even less. However, in this case we actually have it." Chuck's fingers worked quickly on the keyboard. "Don't worry about it. I've got him here. Not too many Joshes in DWB from New York. Look at that. His first trip was to the same region as Devon and Ellie. He was there the next week. It looks like he actually was called over to fill the gap they left."

"Any signs of him knowing Justin?" Sarah asked with concern.

"No. There was a one week gap, so no chance of contact. It's all just a strange coincidence."

"And nothing else?"

"No flashes. He looks clean"

Beckett was not happy, "Do you mind explaining?"

"Sorry, Detective. My sister and brother-in-law went to Africa last year for Doctors Without Borders. While there, my brother-in-law was deliberately infected with something that showed the symptoms of Malaria so they would be returned to the US. Then my sister was unknowingly contacted by a CIA double agent working against our government. Doctors Without Borders does good work, but considering they have a history of being used by enemy agents, we had to check out this Josh. We are holding two devices that terrorists would die to get their hands on, and your boyfriend is affiliated with a group that has been used by terrorists. We had to be safe. And no, Mr. Castle, you cannot use any of this in one of your stories."

Castle looked crushed.

Crisis non-existent, Morgan resumed his task. "So Josh appears to be a real hero, so far. Any chance you've arrested his first wife five years ago and he's trying to get revenge?"

Beckett looked at Morgan, confused. "No. _He's_ never been married."

"Interesting how you are comparing him to your twice divorced partner." Before she could protest. "Sister?"

"No."

"Mother or favorite aunt?"

"No."

Chuck spared the woman the verbal sparring. "Morgan, they don't need some dramatic showdown on a bridge in Paris to get together. Sarah and I made our choice long before then."

"Ah. Whiskey, ice cream, and guitar hero—"

"Before that," Sarah sweetly said. "Chuck just had to tell me what he wanted, and I was already his."

"Yeah, but these two aren't as verbal as you and I are, Chuck." Beckett snorted, as Morgan continued. "Ok, he's literary, and she's a fan of what he writes. But if she didn't understand page 105, she's pretty thick, and they need more help. What got you over the hump, Chuck?"

"Ellie told me off. She's why I broke up with Hannah, too. She practically raised me, so when she told me to follow my heart, I had no choice but to go after Sarah. You picked a good maid of honor, honey." Chuck gave Sarah a peck on the lips.

"That could work. Rick. I need to talk to your mother. Maybe I can get you to listen to her. Is she still around?"

Beckett thought this might be entertaining, so she answered for Castle, "He lives with her."

"_She_ lives with _me_."

"Nothing to be embarrassed about. I just moved out of Charah house in anticipation of the wedding, so I'm between homes and am living with my mother. Chuck, could you get me Richard Castle's home phone number?"

"It's unlisted," Castle said.

"We're the CIA," Chuck countered.

Lanie offered a suggestion, "Castle was raised in boarding schools, not by his mother. The mature voice he listens to is his daughter's."

Beckett shot Lanie a frightened look of concern while mouthing, 'traitor'. If Alexis gave her dad a push, he just might do something. That would be disastrous. Wouldn't it? She was still with Josh. Things were better with him now that he wasn't going to Haiti. He chose _her_ over his work. Well, he was still working a lot, but he chose to do that close to her. She couldn't leave him now.

Yes, she had been closer to Castle lately than ever before. She completely trusted him and felt like she could talk to him about anything. Last week they almost died several times, but they survived all of it—together. He was by her side every step of the way. Supporting her. Comforting her. Saving her. Then there was the kiss. They still hadn't talked about that undercover kiss from a few weeks back. The diversion kiss that was way too much kiss and barely enough cover. If she wasn't in trouble before, she definitely was after _that_ kiss. If Castle told her what he really felt, what she hoped he really felt, she wouldn't be able to deny her feelings any more. Wait. What she _hoped_ he felt? This whole 'therapy session' had spun out of control.

"You are NOT talking to my daughter."

Beckett exhaled the breath she had been holding. Castle saved her again. This time from himself.

"Fine. We'll table that for now." Morgan thought for a few seconds. "I know!" He almost bounced from his chair. "Tell me about the first time you two kissed."

Lanie groaned in frustration. "Sorry, they haven't done that, yet. A good old fashioned kiss is just what they need to wake them up." She turned to give a disapproving look at the pair, but was surprised at what she saw. The detective and the writer were both quietly looking at their feet. "You have got to me kidding me! Girl! How long have to been holding out on me?"

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

A/N: Wow. I can't get these people to shut up. One chapter left.

*SPOILER FOR COUNTDOWN* I was hoping that by waiting I could make Beckett single in this story. Oh well.


	7. Castle's Law

_02 Mar 2011_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Chapter 7 – Castle's Law**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

"_Fine. We'll table that for now." Morgan thought for a few seconds. "I know!" He almost bounced from his chair. "Tell me about the first time you two kissed."_

_Lanie groaned in frustration. "Sorry, they haven't done that, yet. A good old fashioned kiss is just what they need to wake them up." She turned to give a disapproving look at the pair, but was surprised at what she saw. The detective and the writer were both quietly looking at their feet. "You have got to me kidding me! Girl! How long have to been holding out on me?"_

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

Beckett and Castle remained still, refusing to look at Lanie, their 'therapist', or each other.

Meanwhile, Morgan sported a huge grin. His session had gotten completely out of his control, which was fine with him. A few unplanned utterances in the heat of passion were exactly what this would-be couple needed. Maybe he could make a game of it.

His deep thoughts were broken by an excited medical examiner, "I got it. You kissed right in front of the bomb! Was it before it was going explode or after you defused it?"

Beckett broke her silence with a scold, "Lanie! We're not supposed to talk about that!"

"Don't worry about it. We already know." The police and writer looked at Chuck. "We got stuck doing surveillance on some Syrian ships coming to port. It was really boring. I could have told them it was a waste of time, but some homeland security agent, Fallon I think, was _convinced_ the Syrians were planning a multi-city attack. Thanks for proving him wrong and saving the day, by the way."

"You are very welcome." Castle beamed. "That guy was wrong about virtually everything."

"I have the same problem with NSA researchers and CIA scientists. I just wish our date had not been interrupted for it. It was supposed to make up for our interrupted Valentine's Day celebration."

Casey growled, "I thought I said you were never to talk about that again."

Castle smiled, "Now I _got_ to know. What happened on Valentine's Day?"

Casey glared, but Chuck responded anyway. "Let's just say Casey walked in on his daughter and Morgan participating in some indescribable activities and leave it at that."

"Stop dodging the subject." Lanie interrupted. "I want to know about this kiss!"

Castle sighed before responding, "We only clasped hands before ripping out the wires, and we _briefly _hugged afterwards."

"Then when did you kiss?"

It was Beckett turn to sigh. Feigning casual, she answered, "We kissed a few weeks ago as a diversion when we were rescuing Ryan and your boyfriend."

Chuck piped up. "Oooo, a cover kiss. The good old days. They're not as good as a kiss in front of a bomb, a thank-you-for-saving-my-life kiss, or a proposal kiss. But they can still be great. I especially liked the I-have-a-national-security-issue-and-I-need-to-speak-to-you-privately kiss and the I-really-want-you-to-kiss-her-like-the-mission-is-on-the-line kiss." Chuck smiled at Sarah who held at mischievous grin before giving him a brief 'non-cover' kiss.

Lanie ignored the byplay and refocused on her friends. "So if this was just a diversion, why haven't I heard about it before?"

"I didn't want you to make a big deal about it. Like you are doing right now."

"Not a big deal. Girl! It is a big deal!"

"Lanie," Castle interjected, "It was nice, but we were more concerned about saving Ryan and Esposito at the time than focusing on the kiss. So could you please let it go?"

Beckett looked at Castle for the first time since the kiss had been mentioned. _Just 'nice'? What happened to 'Amazing?'_ Wait! Why did she care what Castle thought of the kiss? She had spent several weeks trying not to figure out what she herself thought of that amaz-of that kiss.

Beckett's musings were interrupted with a spotlight through the window. They had been saved from this therapy torture!

"That's my ride." Casey returned the clean guns to the two officers and grabbed the bag holding the devices. "Save a seat for me on the plane." Casey left the room and was heard heading up the stairs to the roof. He couldn't get away from the lady feelings fast enough.

"Beckett, you know what this reminds me of? The Spy Ventures client. Mysterious calls from important people. Agents disappearing into the night. We just needed a story about Afghanistan and fire ants." Castle joked, earning a small smile from his partner, relieved this embarrassing situation was almost over.

Chuck grinned, "Just be glad you brought up Afghanistan _after _Casey was gone. We really didn't need any of his goat stories. However, even those are not quite as bad as his inside-the-walls stories. Hmmm. I better talk to Casey first, but maybe you could hook us up with someone at your publishing house, not your ex of course, to see about getting his stories down on paper."

"Maybe. Let me know. Should we clean up all of this?" Castle asked as he stood.

"Don't bother." Chuck said. "NSA will take over this building in a few days. The cleaning crew was to ensure bullet holes and broken lamps would not be seen by any maid service that might show up between now and then. However, smelly take-out containers would be expected."

Morgan offered a hand, which Beckett stared at a second before realizing she should shake it. "I'm sorry we didn't have time to fully resolve your issue." Castle also shook Morgan's hand despite himself. "If I'm back in New York, I'll call you to schedule another session. Until then, I recommend whiskey, mint ice cream, guitar hero, and _If You Leave_ from _Pretty in Pink_."

"I know it sounds crazy, but it works," Chuck added as Sarah lightly chuckled.

"One last question… The writer in me needs to understand the full story. Why did you return to the scene of the crime, so to speak? You could have been in and out with both devices before anyone else showed up."

"We thought there was only one device. After we left I took a closer look, and the serial number did not match my... intel."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." With fortuitous timing, Esposito stirred. Castle offered to help Lanie move him to the car. "Well, it's been fascinating. It's just too bad all of the cool cases I've worked on lately are classified."

"That's how all of our missions are," Chuck nodded in understanding.

The three New Yorkers moved to leave with the groggy fourth in tow, but Sarah held up Beckett. "Go ahead. I think Agent Walker wants a last word. I'll just be a minute."

After receiving a pointed look from Chuck, Morgan left to warm up the other Vic.

With Castle and Lanie downstairs, Chuck started first. "We're sorry about all of the drama tonight. We also know Morgan can be a bit... much. He means well. I figured an evening of his antics would break the tension from our earlier misunderstanding. Please don't let anything he said get to you."

"I won't," Beckett responded, a little too quickly. It was already getting to her.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something else." Chuck took a breath. "You are not the only one wearing your father's watch." Beckett froze as Chuck lifted his wrist to show the detective. "He was assassinated right in front of me less than a year ago." Chuck paused, giving her time to process. "His killer and all of the other people responsible are all in prison, but I know some of the people responsible for your mother's death are not." Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he explained, "I, uh... I looked over the case files while you were checking out our smash and grab video." He shrugged, "I'm a flash, I mean fast, reader. I wasn't able to figure out who is ultimately behind it all, but if you send me any new leads you have, I think I could help."

Beckett's barely contained shock was replaced with skepticism when she took the offered card for 'Buy More Nerd Herd Supervisor, Charles Bartowski.'

"Half the bad guys know my cover anyway, and you're one of the good guys. That's a private email so it won't set off any national security flags. I wouldn't do a background search on me, though. That would set off all sorts of flags." Chuck turned up one side of mouth in a sympathetic grin, before leaving the women alone in the room.

Sarah tentatively brushed Beckett's arm in comfort. "I know the offer might seem ridiculous, but Chuck really wants to help. He's all about family, and he really could help if you let him. Chuck's an out-of-the-box thinker, kind of like your partner. He also has a very unique—ability—which he's been able to use to find people who were in hiding from the CIA for over ten and close to twenty years. When he was flashing through your mother's case file, he made the Raglan connection before even getting to your most recent case." Beckett looked up from the card to Sarah in surprise. "Just consider it, if you get any new leads."

Beckett nodded her head slightly and placed the card in her pocket.

"One more thing," Sarah added. "I can tell you're not ready, but don't wait too long with him."

Beckett looked down at her shoes uncomfortably, knowing exactly who 'him' was.

Sarah hesitated before continuing awkwardly, "I'm not very good at this, and I'm a lot less... well 'Morgan' than Morgan is. You're a lot like me. We're both closed off and scared to take the next step. I loved my guy for almost three years before I told him. It cost us several months apart, almost cost me my life, and worst of all, I almost lost him. I had to fight through Company regulations, professional expectations, and my own personal walls built long before I joined the CIA. I know you have your own battle to fight that might take some time, but trust me. Being completely in love with your best friend is worth it."

Beckett didn't move. She knew Josh was safer for her. But was he better for her? Right now, she had both of them in her life: a safe boyfriend and Castle, whatever he was. The important question was would Castle wait around forever? He bolted once before to the Hamptons. Maybe he didn't feel that way about her. Right. Who was she kidding? One thing she knew for certain, she needed Castle in her life in some way, shape, or form. He was one of the best friends, if not _the_ best friend, she had. She couldn't lose him, as Sarah said she had almost lost Chuck.

They almost died last week. She had actually resigned to the fact they were going to die not once, but twice. Only Josh's serendipitous return to New York had saved them the first time. Actually, that one could also be credited to Castle's insightful daughter. Her team really deserved most of the credit, much more than Josh. There was no argument that Castle's directions and his desperate action had saved them the second time. After the freezer, she told Castle that Josh and she now had a chance. But what about her and Castle? Did they have a chance? Should she discard Josh with Demming and finish taking that chance?

Beckett looked up and saw the spy was long gone. Shaking her head to clear it, she hurried out to her car.

"What was that about, Beckett?" Castle's voice broke her contemplation. In the dim glow of the overhead dome light, she saw that twinkle in his eyes that had been missing since before the terrorist threat last week. It made her smile. He always made her smile.

"All sorts of top secret stuff, Castle. Need to know only," Beckett joked. She put the car in gear and drove away.

Castle scoffed, "Fine. We called Ryan while we were waiting. Between the various dispatch calls and calls from the captain, he had driven back and forth several times before finally returning home for the night. The captain said since nothing officially happened tonight, we don't have to go into the station. So, after we drop these two," Castle pointed over his shoulder at the cuddling Lanie and the groggy, but conscious Esposito, "where do you want to go? I'm too pumped to go home yet. I can't believe we finally had a case with the CIA! And they were like real people. Really strange and kind of badass, but real nonetheless. So where to next?"

Stopped at a light, Beckett smiled and twirled her hair in her fingers before returning them to the wheel. "I'm game for whatever you are." She wasn't certain what Castle wanted. Hell, she wasn't even sure what she wanted. She was sure that whatever it was, be it partnership, friendship, or something more, she wanted it with him. She couldn't lose him in her life. If that meant following his lead instead of pushing back, so be it. If he could be right about the CIA, then maybe he could be right about them, too. The light turned green, and it was time to go.

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_**Somewhere above the Rockies**_

Chuck replaced Casey in the copilot's seat as he hit the head. Sarah smiled at him from the pilot's chair. While Chuck could fly in an emergency, he really didn't want to maintain the concentration he would need for a multi-hour, cross-country flash.

"How much longer, Papa Smurf?"

"Papa Smurf?" Sarah raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry, bad analogy. Wrong gender, age, hair color, height, and species. Your eyes are the most beautiful blue. Maybe I should have said 'How much longer Smurfette?' so I would have had everything but height and species right. Morgan hates it when I adjust the quotes."

Sarah laughed softly, shaking her head. "It'll be a couple more hours. I really hope Ellie and Devon keep their breakfast short." Chuck gave her a look. "It's not that I'm trying to avoid Clara. But by the time we land and get home, we'll get maybe three hours of sleep. Not ideal for babysitting."

"No problem. We're spies. And I have it on good authority that you can do anything."

"Good authority?"

"Mine. Remember? Rooftop? Helicopter? Longshore? Pita girl?"

"Ugh. I try to block out most of that night. One of the worst."

"Not for me. You were there. Any night with you is immediately disqualified from the 'worst list'."

"Sometimes I think you might be too sweet." Sarah squeezed Chuck's hand before returning it to the controls.

"So about _this_ night... What do you think their chances are?"

"Castle and Beckett?"

"Of course. Is it wrong that I wished that Josh was a missing Ring agent, just because it would have helped their chances? Too bad. From what I flashed on his hospital personnel records, replace his motorcycle with an exercise bike and replace the leather with spandex, and you'd have Captain Awesome."

"Not all of us female kick ass crime fighters go for _awesome_. Some of us have higher standards."

Chuck released a full grin. "I guess that's fair. I'd have you know _my_ bar is so high, you're the only one who can cross it. Back to our NYPD alter egos, do you really think they have a shot? Have I actually turned you into a hopeless romantic?"

"Hopeless? Give me a break, Chuck. With how they care about each other, how closely they work together, and the regular life and death situations they are in, it's inevitable. Don't you think it's obvious?"

"I completely agree. To paraphrase Castle, law of averages demands that it'll eventually happen."

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

**Castle's Law: Follow around your muse long enough and you'll eventually get together, no matter how much she says you annoy her.**

**X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X**

_BIG A/N:_ I hope you enjoyed it. I apologize to those of you who got the giggles in inappropriate places. Thank you for all of the flattering reviews and for just stopping by to read.

**There is now two 1-shot sequels: "Caskett vs Dr Morgan" and "Beckett vs the Linchpin"**

With chapter 2, I listed this story as a cross-over. Almost nobody saw it. Since then, I alternated it between Castle and Chuck categories. I'm sorry if that confused, bugged, or offended anyone. It did increase interest and the number of positive responses. I've now relisted this as a cross-over for archiving purposes.

I know most Castle fics are about getting Caskett together as quickly as possible. Instead I tried to be compatible with the current plot line of both shows. (Until the next episode, which always inevitably makes my stories AU in some obscure way.) Blame my lack of full Casketty goodness on my frustration from both the reappearance of Josh after the freezer and my expectation of now having to wait for quite a while. I still had to hint at 'something.' I couldn't help myself.

Somehow I missed Richard Castle/Castle under the Buy More puns. That's probably a good thing.

Shout-outs and story ideas:

1) **BDaddyDL** is planning a Castle/Chuck crossover! Keep an eye out for it. I am.

2) If someone wants to make another Castle crossover for something other than Chuck, I have some suggested quotes: "A 200 year old bullet can only mean one thing: time traveling killer!" or "We should have a code word so we know which Beckett to kill when her clone army attacks." Let the sci-fi crossovers commence! Sorry, but I'm not doing them. I did write "Clone Army" but it is not a cross-over nor has a sci-fi theme. Let me know if any of you try them, because I'd love to read them. In the mean time, I'm waiting for updates to "Bad Scifi" from **T-man626**. **LittleLizzieZentara **also wrote "The Beckett Clones."

3) My impromptu idea for Bridezilla Sarah's extreme wedding based on the end of "Chuck vs. the Bank of Evil": Island wedding on a beach between a cliff and the ocean. Ellie would just stand by the minister, freaking out because she didn't know where anyone is. Zondra comes by land, rappelling down a cliff. Carina comes by sea, driving in on a jet ski. Sarah comes by air, parachuting in. Isla also comes to deliver the cake from Paris and to be Casey's date. **Doc in Oz** suggested this great addition: _ With the possibility of Casey (in full tactical gear – mission interrupted) "Dearly beloved *Grunt* must I say this?" About seventeen voices at the same time "YES!"_ _*Grunt* _

Check out "Bridezilla vs. the Extreme Wedding"for the story inspired by his review to this one. Personally, my favorite Charah wedding fanfic is "Scenes from a Wedding" by **atlee**_._

4) I changed the title of the last chapter from "Final Advice" which I never liked to "Castle's Law" because of a comment from **Doc in Oz**. I should have thought it in before because my last chapter of "Sarah vs. the Mystery Agent" is "Morgan's Law" (Who needs Murphy when you have Morgan?). Doc had a creepy corollary to Castle's Law for Jeffrey Barnes. It involves the police, mace, tasers, and way too many disturbing thoughts.

5) Thanks again to all of my reviewers. You know who you are. If not, click the review number and find yourself.

Writing this story, I've had some great conversations with my reviewers. They helped my realized some knowledge gaps might be out there because not all readers are experts on both Chuck and Castle. Honestly, I'm only an "expert" on Chuck.

1) As much as I would like to take credit for "Doctor Morgan", I cannot. Morgan did the retail therapist shtick for Devon and Ellie to help them pick between a washer/dryer and a big screen TV in Season 1's "Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover". He became "Doctor Morgan" for Chuck at the end of the Season 2 premiere, "Chuck vs. the First Date."

2) I have nothing against Marvel, Dark Horse (Star Wars), or Boom! (Farscape). Chuck is a DC Comics guy based on "Chuck vs. the Honeymooners." Morgan found Chuck using surveillance video of him purchasing the latest _Justice League_.

3) John Casey's was "Lieutenant Alex Coburn" before he faked his death to become a black ops sniper for Uncle Sam.

4) I'm sorry to you Kevin Ryan fans. Ryan went MIA, because I had too many characters in the same scene. I like Ryan, but I figured he would be easy to extract because Jenny had no business at a crime scene, plus she has him whipped. Esposito was shot for similar reasons, plus I just had to have Casey shoot somebody. I had enough trouble making sure the remaining seven weren't bored. The real reason I didn't let Lanie leave in an ambulance with Esposito had nothing to do with keeping their location secure. It was to participate in the Dr. Morgan counseling session.

5) Carina has been asked to be one of Sarah's bridesmaids. Before the first Chuck, she locked up Casey in only his boxers and a T-shirt. She seduced him and repeated the act in Season 1's "Chuck vs. the Wookie." In season 3, Morgan and Carina hooked up, primarily because he was the first person (not counting Chuck) who said no to her. Season 4's "Chuck vs. the CAT Squad" implies that Casey doesn't know Morgan has gone where every man (except Chuck and Casey) has gone before.

6) For Castle fans wondering about Chuck's weird blinking/head shaking, this was an Intersect flash. Read my previous stories "Chuck vs. the Whole Truth" (Chapters 6 and 12) or "Chuck vs All of the Intersects (Chapter 5) for more details. Then again, doing a wikipedia search on "Chuck Bartowski" is probably faster and actually watching the pilot episode of Chuck is definitely more fun. Since I wasn't being specific when he flashed, here's a list: hacking the Richard Castle website and Doctors Without Borders records, the Kung Fu/Lethal Weapon 4 moves, shooting and gymnastics skills during the break in, Jordan Shaw's, KB's, Castle's, Lanie's, Esposito's, and Josh's personnel records and Johaanna Beckett's case file. He flashed a lot in this mission, but that's why he seemed like a know it all.

7) Castle's second ex-wife, Gina, really is evil. She helped Volkoff capture Casey in the Buy More during "Chuck vs. the Leftovers", 4.10.


End file.
